Published: Sunday, May 4, 2014 at 7:21 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, May 4, 2014 at 7:21 p.m.

GERTON — After years of racing mountain bikes, Bryan White took up competitive running about a year ago and found it suited him: he finished his first 15K in just over an hour and beat out all comers in two other races soon thereafter.

But as he warmed up Sunday afternoon for the third annual Bearwallow Beast 5K, White admitted his first attempt at the grueling race up Bearwallow Mountain bore little resemblance to anything he'd previously conquered.

"This is the great equalizer today," said White. "It doesn't matter how far you can run on flat land. You can throw any notion of time from other races out the window because it's such an incline. It really is a race against yourself and the mountain."

White was one of 246 runners who registered for Sunday's race, in which competitors climb 1,400 feet in elevation in just 3.1 miles. The hybrid course of asphalt, gravel and dirt switchbacks up brutal grades to Bearwallow's 4,232-foot summit.

Javan Lapp, 26, of Fletcher was the race's overall winner, finishing with a gun time of 26:47. Almon Cox, 34, of Union Mills placed second overall. The top female racer was Margaret Brennan, 36, of Fletcher, who placed 11th overall with a time of 31:00.

In his first go at the "Beast," White finished a respectable 24th overall with a time of 33:45. As the former bass player of Brushfire Stankgrass, the Asheville resident has performed at the last two post-race festivals atop Bearwallow with his former band.

"It's nice to finally run it," he said.

Racer Sara Walker, 30, of Charlotte placed third in her female age group during the first Bearwallow Beast in 2012. The triathlete said the "Beast" is the only race in which she's actually stopped running temporarily, due to its intense steepness.

"It's definitely the toughest 5K I do all year," said Walker, as she and her training partner, Narissa Rahaman, loaded up on fluids and energy gel before the 2 p.m. start time. "The heat today will probably be a factor, too, but you can't beat the views at the top."

At the finish line, racers were greeted with 360-degree views of southern Appalachian's tallest peaks, including Mount Mitchell to the northeast and Mount Pisgah to the west. Music, food vendors and a complimentary beer from Southern Appalachian or Sierra Nevada breweries were available afterward.

Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, which co-hosted this year's race with Pardee Hospital, has protected 165 acres atop Bearwallow using conservation easements. The land trust also constructed a 1-mile public trail to the summit. CMLC hopes to eventually preserve more than 400 acres on the mountain.

For all the race results, visit www.leetiming.com. For more information about CMLC's conservation efforts, visit www.carolinamountain.org.

<p>GERTON — After years of racing mountain bikes, Bryan White took up competitive running about a year ago and found it suited him: he finished his first 15K in just over an hour and beat out all comers in two other races soon thereafter.</p><p>But as he warmed up Sunday afternoon for the third annual Bearwallow Beast 5K, White admitted his first attempt at the grueling race up Bearwallow Mountain bore little resemblance to anything he'd previously conquered.</p><p>"This is the great equalizer today," said White. "It doesn't matter how far you can run on flat land. You can throw any notion of time from other races out the window because it's such an incline. It really is a race against yourself and the mountain."</p><p>White was one of 246 runners who registered for Sunday's race, in which competitors climb 1,400 feet in elevation in just 3.1 miles. The hybrid course of asphalt, gravel and dirt switchbacks up brutal grades to Bearwallow's 4,232-foot summit.</p><p>Javan Lapp, 26, of Fletcher was the race's overall winner, finishing with a gun time of 26:47. Almon Cox, 34, of Union Mills placed second overall. The top female racer was Margaret Brennan, 36, of Fletcher, who placed 11th overall with a time of 31:00.</p><p>In his first go at the "Beast," White finished a respectable 24th overall with a time of 33:45. As the former bass player of Brushfire Stankgrass, the Asheville resident has performed at the last two post-race festivals atop Bearwallow with his former band.</p><p>"It's nice to finally run it," he said.</p><p>Racer Sara Walker, 30, of Charlotte placed third in her female age group during the first Bearwallow Beast in 2012. The triathlete said the "Beast" is the only race in which she's actually stopped running temporarily, due to its intense steepness.</p><p>"It's definitely the toughest 5K I do all year," said Walker, as she and her training partner, Narissa Rahaman, loaded up on fluids and energy gel before the 2 p.m. start time. "The heat today will probably be a factor, too, but you can't beat the views at the top."</p><p>At the finish line, racers were greeted with 360-degree views of southern Appalachian's tallest peaks, including Mount Mitchell to the northeast and Mount Pisgah to the west. Music, food vendors and a complimentary beer from Southern Appalachian or Sierra Nevada breweries were available afterward.</p><p>Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, which co-hosted this year's race with Pardee Hospital, has protected 165 acres atop Bearwallow using conservation easements. The land trust also constructed a 1-mile public trail to the summit. CMLC hopes to eventually preserve more than 400 acres on the mountain.</p><p>For all the race results, visit www.leetiming.com. For more information about CMLC's conservation efforts, visit www.carolinamountain.org.</p>